The Challenges of Incorporating Ancestral Medicine in Modern Healthcare: Navigating Animosity and Resistance

 Physicians and dentists who embrace the potential benefits of addressing the root causes of health problems rather than merely treating symptoms can fall into functional medicine, ancestral medicine, or other holistic paradigms. However, our journey is fraught with challenges and obstacles, including skepticism and resistance from various stakeholders in the medical field and sometimes patients. So, why do healers who promote non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical, lifestyle-related cures receive pushback from mainstream practitioners, mainstream media, search engines, and the public? I will answer the question in this post, but what remains prevalent is that more and more patients believe that their medical care is not promoting their overall health. 

Over the last one hundred years, the medical profession, with the help of government, academia, and big business, has turned Western medicine into a "disease management cartel" in which chronic, preventable disease is the input and health the hoped-for output. Accordingly, medical and dental practices are now designed to optimize production in a standardized manner, which has become its prime mode of operation, putting profit ahead of patients' health while placing the doctor, the company they work for, and the insurance company in charge, instead of the patient. 

Education

I have a dental student I am mentoring, and she has not been taught most of the basic information I routinely present on this website. For instance, she has not been told about the craniofacial respiratory complex, airway dentistry, intermolar distance, tongue mobility, or even anything about the origin of cavities in humans when wheat was introduced into our diet. I would expect nothing less; I was not taught about these things either.

Fear

I attract many patients who have taken their health into their own hands while still embracing all the good that Western medicine has to offer. I encountered a patient today who eats no processed food. He asked how necessary brushing, flossing, and fluoride are for him. I told him that, because of his diet, brushing was the only important one for him. But not because he will get a cavity if he does not (his diet is sufficient not to cause decay), but only because he will have cleaner-looking teeth and better breath. My advice was specific for him and his excellent diet, but it would be disastrous for most other people who eat a Western diet with processed carbs and junk food. Had my recommendation been overheard by most other dentists, they would have been appalled. They would think, "What dentist in his right mind would discourage fluoride and toothpaste?" Some of them may even think I should have my license taken away. As I was speaking to him, I was worried about such repercussions if one of my partners was within earshot.

Ancestral Medicine

Ancestral medicine and functional medicine are holistic approaches that seek to incorporate ancient practices, dietary patterns, and lifestyle choices into modern healthcare. Advocates of ancestral medicine argue that by looking back to our ancestors' ways of life, we can identify healthier alternatives to address various health issues and promote overall well-being. This approach includes dietary patterns like the Paleo, carnivore, and keto diets, mindfulness techniques, and alternative therapies.

The Culture of Skepticism in Modern Medicine

The culture of skepticism towards alternative medical practices within the medical community goes back over one hundred years. Conventional medicine, with its emphasis on evidence-based practices and clinical trials, i.e., pharmaceuticals and surgery, has long been the dominant paradigm in Western healthcare. The results can be manipulated to say just about anything the researchers want us to believe, In contrast, deciphering how our ancestors thrived without clinical trials and pharmaceuticals, for the most part, weeds out deception.

Economic Interests and Institutional Inertia

Incorporating functional and ancestral medicine into modern healthcare threatens not only established medical practices but also economic interests tied to the pharmaceutical and medical industries. However, the healthcare system in many Western countries is deeply entwined with these industries, creating powerful incentives to maintain the status quo while downplaying the effectiveness of more holistic approaches.

Institutional Inertia

Healthcare institutions, professional licensing boards, and associations have established protocols, guidelines, and standards of care that align with conventional medicine. Integrating ancestral medicine into these frameworks goes against established norms and requires significant changes in education, training, and practice. Such changes are often met with resistance and anger due to institutional inertia.

Pharmaceutical Industry Influence

The pharmaceutical industry is a dominant player in modern healthcare, with substantial resources and influence over medical research, education, and practice. Many alternative approaches, including ancestral medicine, advocate for lifestyle modifications and natural remedies rather than pharmaceutical interventions. This threatens the profitability of the pharmaceutical industry, leading to resistance and opposition. Additionally, funding is hard to come by when not in line with dominant thinking.

Professional Purgatory

The historical example of Ignaz Semmelweis illustrates the difficulties faced by forward-thinking healthcare practitioners. In the mid-19th century, Semmelweis observed a high mortality rate among women in maternity clinics due to puerperal fever. He introduced the practice of handwashing for physicians, drastically reducing the mortality rate. However, his ideas were met with resistance, and he faced professional isolation. This resistance was rooted in the medical community's reluctance to accept new, unproven practices.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the well-being of patients and the potential benefits of these practices should be the driving force behind their integration into modern healthcare, not dogma, and certainly not corporate profits over health. If we get back to rational discourse, we will be ok. But when only one side of a subject is allowed, and that side is motivated by personal gain, we will remain troubled as an unwell population.